Reminder: The House Voted to Repeal Obamacare More Than 50 Times

WASHINGTON ― After years of promises and months of delays, House Republicans passed their version of an Obamacare repeal and replacement Thursday, muscling the far-right legislation through their chamber by feverishly pressuring moderates in the closing days.

Republicans passed the bill 217-213, with 20 Republicans voting “no” and not a single Democrat voting in support.

But what seems like a victory for House Republicans may ultimately be their downfall.

Poor people: If it becomes law, the bill is likely to result in many states rolling back their expansions of the Medicaid program to cover childless adults without disabilities. The bill would also substantially reduce subsidies available for Americans just over the poverty line, the group that benefited most from Obamacare’s subsidies. Poor Americans would be much more likely to become uninsured under the bill, according to the Congressional Budget Office, and those who retained coverage would pay much more of their limited incomes on premiums and deductibles.

Older Americans, in most states: The same factors that make the bill better for many young Americans make it worse for those who are older. Insurance companies would be allowed to charge a 64-year-old customer five times the price charged to an 18-year-old one, to cite the most extreme example. The changes in the subsidy formula would also require older middle-class Americans to pay a much larger share of their health insurance bill. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that far fewer older Americans would have insurance coverage under this bill than do under the Affordable Care Act.

8 Ways the Health Care Bill Is Hazardous to Your Health

A bill slated for a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives this week threatens your health — and your wallet — in many ways. The American Health Care Act (AHCA) was pulled from consideration in March because it lacked the votes. House leaders say they are mustering support for a revised version of the AHCA despite opposition from doctors, hospitals and consumer groups, including AARP. They hope to have a vote on the bill this week. Among the key provisions, the legislation would:

Impose an age tax.

Allow insurers to charge higher premiums to consumers with preexisting conditions, potentially to levels that people cannot afford.

Permit states to rely upon high-risk pools with sky-high premiums to cover people with preexisting conditions.